


Rooftops

by ashes_14



Category: Errant Kingdom (Visual Novel)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Character Study, F/M, Mention of Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:20:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26354869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashes_14/pseuds/ashes_14
Summary: Kaylee's past has been weighing on her for awhile and a quiet night was all she was hoping for, until a nosy assassin gets involved and she finds it impossible to shut him out.
Relationships: Raiden/Main Character (Errant Kingdom)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Rooftops

**Author's Note:**

> Just a quick character study on one of my MC's for EK. Likely a little canon divergent, but just me playing with the Nomad's background. This work does mention death, but nothing explicit. As well as an anxiety attack.

Most nights the quiet would have driven Kaylee crazy. The roar of a crowd kept her hidden; a shadow was less noticeable when there were a million other things going on. But tonight, she needed something different. She laid out on the roof of a tall building watching the stars above her.

She had learned to read the stars and use them as guides when she was young. Kaylee thought of them as constant companions in a world where she had none. She traced out a few of her favorite constellations, trying to bring the quiet around her into her mind. There were so many thoughts bouncing around in her skull. By the time she could settle one or two, three more were screaming for attention. 

Usually a few heavy pours of whatever alcohol was available would help her get through the worst of it. But she didn’t think Novus was the best place to let her guard down like that. Not to mention that going to the Crown meant running into Eric and possibly Roux. They were both unlikely to let her suffer in silence. The stars would have to do. 

The loud thoughts in her own mind were almost enough to dull her senses, but not quite. She felt that slight prickle of someone watching. Kaylee rolled into a crouch and pulled a dagger from her boot in half a heartbeat. 

“You know, if someone wanted you dead they could have easily done away with you just now,” Raiden said. He was leaning against a chimney a few feet from her, disinterestedly toying with his own dagger. Kaylee rolled her eyes and flopped back down on the roof.

“Well I guess it's a good thing all the bounties are on your head and not mine,” she fired back at him. She folded her arms under her head and stared up toward the sky again, hoping Raiden would catch a hint.

Of all the people she was trying to avoid, he had been at the top. But that also made him much more likely to be the one she would run into. Raiden had a habit of popping up when Kaylee least wanted him to. She didn’t turn to face him when he sauntered over and sat down on the roof next to her.

“At least I don’t make it easy for people to find me, laying out in the open.” Raiden poked her in the side and pulled away before she could swipe at him.

“And yet somehow I’ve avoided human and non-human contact all day until right now.” Kaylee turned her head to glare pointedly.

“Roux told me they hadn’t seen you all day, so I took that as a personal challenge.” Raiden sounded smug, like he had solved some great mystery and deserved praise.

“Of course you did,” Kaylee huffed. “Well you’ve found me, so now you can leave.” She gestured off towards the town.

“So quick to dismiss me? You wound me.” Raiden placed a hand on his chest in mock offense.

“Don’t you have some _snake _business to attend to? Or did I unknowingly pull the short straw in keeping you entertained tonight?” Kaylee’s patience was wearing thin. Under normal circumstances she might not have minded the company. But tonight was not the night.__

____

“Depends on what kind of entertainment you’re offering,” he replied suggestively.

____

Kaylee groaned in frustration and dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. “You’re going to have to go find your _entertainment _elsewhere. Don’t you have your demon for that?”__

______ _ _

“First of all, he’s not ‘ _my _’ demon. And second of all,” Raiden leaned forward so he was hovering over her face, “what’s got you all cranky? You’re usually more fun than this.”__

________ _ _ _ _

“I’m fine. There’s nothing wrong with wanting some peace and quiet, which I had until you decided to ruin it.” Kaylee scowled. 

________ _ _ _ _

“That’s not true. I was watching you. You get this little crease right between your eyebrows when you’re thinking.” Raiden poked the spot on her forehead.

________ _ _ _ _

Kaylee fought to keep the flush out of her cheeks as she bared her teeth at Raiden. She knew that he needed to be observant considering his line of work, but damn him for reading her so easily. She sat up and brought her knees up to her chin, holding herself tight. 

________ _ _ _ _

“I don’t think we’re at the ‘unlocking my tragic backstory’ stage,” Kaylee grumbled. Raiden frowned.

________ _ _ _ _

“Adri expects us to trust each other. And you’re not being very trusting right now. Look at me, I’ve been nothing but an open book!” Raiden threw his arms out, grinning.

________ _ _ _ _

Laughter bubbled out of Kaylee. She tried to stifle it with a hand over her mouth, but it didn’t help.

________ _ _ _ _

“You’re so full of shit, Raiden,” she chuckled. 

________ _ _ _ _

“But did it make you feel better?” His voice dripped with smugness.

________ _ _ _ _

“Being left alone would make me feel even better.” Kaylee arched an eyebrow at him. 

________ _ _ _ _

“There’s no pleasing you, is there?” Raiden scoffed, leaning back and looking up at the stars as she had been.

________ _ _ _ _

Kaylee sighed in exasperation. “Ungrath take me. You’re going to be the death of me.”

________ _ _ _ _

Raiden rolled his eyes. “And you say I’m the dramatic one. Fine, if you won’t tell me then I’ll have to guess. Let’s see,” he narrowed his eyes at her. “How to break into the castle’s kitchen? How to get free drinks at the Crown? How to steal Eric’s sword? I wouldn’t recommend that one, I tried that once. Or were you thinking about pranking our dear Livia —”

________ _ _ _ _

“I was thinking about my family’s death.” Her words slipped out before she could think.

________ _ _ _ _

Raiden’s rambling cut off sharply. Kaylee didn’t look at him. She kept focusing on a scuff on her boots, clenching her jaw. 

________ _ _ _ _

Raiden cleared his throat, trying to hide his shock. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I understand. No one gets into this business without having some shit in their past.”

________ _ _ _ _

Discretion was everything in her line of work, talking about her past did little to help her future. But for some reason, she was having a hard time _not _letting Raiden in. So the words kept tumbling out.__

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“It was 18 years ago today actually. I was eight. My parents ran an apothecary shop outside of a small town in Vih’thris. They treated everything from a small cold to some of the worst accidents.” Kaylee took a shaky breath. “My little sister was four. My mom had sent me into town to buy some things from the market. It was the first time she had let me go alone and I was so excited. I got distracted by a minstrel, so I was late coming home. I didn’t realize anything was wrong until I got out of the market and people were screaming. Our shop, our home was on fire.”

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kaylee barely even noticed Raiden sitting next to her anymore and flashes of memories dragged her deeper and deeper down. Her control slipped. She had spent so long pushing away any thought of that day and now it was rushing over her like a flood. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Her heart raced like it had then. She could still taste the ashes that had coated her lungs and she felt the raw burn of screams that ripped from her throat. Her hands trembled despite her tight grip on her knees.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I couldn’t do anything. My mother, my father, my sister. Everyone was gone and I couldn’t do anything,” she whispered. Kaylee’s head started to swim and her ears rang. Her eyes burned with tears she wouldn’t let fall. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“A few years later I found out what happened. A band of highwaymen demanded food, our horses, and whatever money we had. My father refused.” Kaylee fought against the lump forming in her throat. Her nails dug into her palms. She stared ahead, unseeing. “So I found them. I found them and I made sure they would never hurt another person again.”

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

For eighteen years she had tried to bury her past. Shadows didn’t need to have a past after all, they only needed to focus on what was ahead. Kaylee had been good at that. For eighteen years her past had stayed buried, but tonight she couldn’t stop herself from unearthing it. She wasn’t strong enough to hold back the anger and the pain. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

A warm hand over her own slowed her trembling. Raiden laced their fingers together, slowly unclenching her fist. He gave her hand a hard squeeze and Kaylee found herself pulled her out of her overwhelming thoughts and back to the roof.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

She closed her eyes and took a few steadying breaths. Raiden’s calloused hand was an anchor, reminding her that she wasn’t that lost child anymore. The memories slowly faded away as Kaylee tucked them back into the past. After a moment she turned her gaze up to the stars again. She was back in control.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

Raiden could see when the last ghost in her mind was shut away. People like them didn’t get to be vulnerable. He knew what it could cost to let those walls down. He watched her shoulders sink and her face shift back into a carefully crafted mask. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“I like to think that they’ve watched over me, but I don’t think they’d be proud of me. I lived on the streets and stole what I needed until I worked my way into a thieves guild. I doubt that was the future my parents wanted for me.” Kaylee shook her head softly.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“They’d be proud of you for surviving,” Raiden assured her. It felt insignificant compared to everything she had shared, but when someone was a shadow like Kaylee, survival was everything. 

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“And now here I am with assassins, a demon, and fae for associates. Not to mention a failed assassination of the king and queen. Oh, don’t forget about a cult popping up in the middle of the woods,” Kaylee laughed dryly. “Hells, things got weird.”

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“Well Kay, that’s what happens when you live in the shadows. You see shit.” Raiden laid back on the roof and stared up at the sky. Kaylee seemed to be returning from the darkness and he relaxed a little too.

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _

“And the weirdest thing has been _you _. You actually shut up for more than thirty seconds,” Kaylee grinned.__

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Raiden rolled his eyes, “Don’t say I never listen to you, cause I do. Sometimes.”

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Kaylee swatted his arm. “Insufferable asshole,” she muttered. Raiden chuckled as he admired the stars above.

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“So I guess we are at the ‘unlocking your tragic backstory’ stage,” Raiden gave her a lopsided grin.

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“And if you ever bring it up again, there won’t be a body left to find,” Kaylee grinned back at him. 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

“You’d have to catch me first. And we both know I’m faster,” Raiden teased. Before Kaylee could respond with a retort, he was up and racing to the end of the roof. He paused for a moment and looked back with a crooked grin, challenging her to follow, before he leapt across to the next roof. Kaylee swore under her breath and scrambled to her feet. 

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

As she followed Raiden over the rooftops, she wondered if letting her walls come down had been wise. She wasn’t used to this kind of vulnerability and she wasn’t sure if it would come back to bite her in the ass. But maybe she could trust Raiden. Or maybe just killing him now would be easier than dealing with more emotions. Either way, he was right; Kaylee would have to catch him first.

____________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
